17-11-2017, 07:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-05-2020, 01:41 AM by Mixinthecloud.)
Beautiful all around from performance to hall to recording and engineering. Superb.
Lots of ways to look at this from almost any seat in the house, such is the quality of the recording and the nature of the hall. I love the way you can hear the interplay of the performers left and right hands.
I'd love to hear your impressions of my approach.
Happy listening,
MITC
Once I uncovered the unconventional section placement I re-approached the mix accordingly.
What began to clarify things for me, however was a nagging note in the piano. Is it just me or is there a broken string? The right hand of this pianist is very aggressive. When listening to the spot pair I noticed is was a bit strident and lacking low end. I am guessing the hi-pass filters were on, on that pair. To tame the stridency I figured compression, which I applied sparingly. That leveled out the left hand a right hand a bit but the ping was still there. So an EQ was applied with mid-side capability. Just switching the EQ into mid-side mode made a big change. Recognizing that the low end of the piano and the top end which was mostly to the sides was beautifully present in the three house pairs allowed me to filter lows from the sides and highs from the center and strengthen the mid section of the piano against the room mics. BAM! All of a sudden the piano began to blend properly. I had tamed the ping, enhanced the low end definition (the left hand) and got it lay mach better against the softness of the string rises.
I like to consider myself a purest, but EHHH. I guess not. I was very reticent to alter such beautiful tracks in a classical context, but it called to me that the strength of the spot pair on the piano was not the full bandwidth but the great mid-body presence and power of the instrument and the pianist.
Solidifying the piano image helped me to recognize the need for hi-passing which was done judiciously but necessarily and as a result the horn was tamable which allowed me put the woodwinds pair through a narrowing process to place it more easily in the back of the ensemble.
I'd love to know what you think of this approach and would like to hear how others approached this and what cues they listened to when making their blending and panning decisions.
Much Thanks...MITC
What is so much fun about orchestral mixing is that it allows you to be both producer and conductor. Offered as my final take on this wonderful piece is this. Did some more low end cleaning and was generally more aggressive with tuning the individual sections with EQ and gain riding.
A couple new approaches here. LCR panning for all sectional mics. Room mics were used more heavily and re-balanced to add the lushness and softness I was hearing in 'professional' productions. Some hi end was rolled off sectional mics to keep the softness.
Hello. I hope everyone is doing genuinely well.
I've mixed this piece previously and have posted those mixes in another post. Typically I would add it to my exiting post but this mix is a different generation.
After watching a recent public television special documenting the life of the young Japanese piano prodigy Nobuyuki Tsujii, who achieved a gold medal at the Van Cliburn competition in 2009 and listening to this incredible pianist, it clarified an approach to this piece. That approach has been applied with this next generation mix.
Armed with new EQ plugins from the classical era allowed for liberally shaping the sonic content appropriately, bringing focus to the groups of instruments in the ensemble and how they are layered. This presented a wonderful sound stage to present a focused and very evenly tempered piano soloist. This new clarity also allowed for the house to be better encompassed around the stage which is vital to the entire soundscape. This has yielded the best rendition of the hall I've yet to realize. It also preserves the presence of the soloist, with excellent imaging of the piano, note definition and the best dynamics, so far.
There were several layers of compression on the mix as well as mastering compression/limiting. All used very sparingly and for specific need. No reverb was added to the mix. The decay and sonic density of the hall is superb. Automation was used throughout on section mics or on the 'All Sections' buss; mostly subtle changes to enhance the balance between soloist and ensemble throughout the phrases in the score. All tracks were high-passed to a degree to minimize rumble. Not noticed in previous mixes are some of the house noises audible in this one. I also think a string is gone or is going bad on the piano. Yikes! I had my suspicions of this before but something is buzzing, besides me. You tell me if you can hear it. Please!
Learning and hearing about this wonderful new performer was a treat and being able to apply that to this mix of the Concerto has a been a real pleasure. I hope you find time to enjoy my mix.
Put on your best ears and take a listen...
Your friend, mITc
Comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
MITC
Lots of ways to look at this from almost any seat in the house, such is the quality of the recording and the nature of the hall. I love the way you can hear the interplay of the performers left and right hands.
I'd love to hear your impressions of my approach.
Happy listening,
MITC
Gnessin Academy Piano Concerto - Pan 2
11/18/2017
11/18/2017
Once I uncovered the unconventional section placement I re-approached the mix accordingly.
What began to clarify things for me, however was a nagging note in the piano. Is it just me or is there a broken string? The right hand of this pianist is very aggressive. When listening to the spot pair I noticed is was a bit strident and lacking low end. I am guessing the hi-pass filters were on, on that pair. To tame the stridency I figured compression, which I applied sparingly. That leveled out the left hand a right hand a bit but the ping was still there. So an EQ was applied with mid-side capability. Just switching the EQ into mid-side mode made a big change. Recognizing that the low end of the piano and the top end which was mostly to the sides was beautifully present in the three house pairs allowed me to filter lows from the sides and highs from the center and strengthen the mid section of the piano against the room mics. BAM! All of a sudden the piano began to blend properly. I had tamed the ping, enhanced the low end definition (the left hand) and got it lay mach better against the softness of the string rises.
I like to consider myself a purest, but EHHH. I guess not. I was very reticent to alter such beautiful tracks in a classical context, but it called to me that the strength of the spot pair on the piano was not the full bandwidth but the great mid-body presence and power of the instrument and the pianist.
Solidifying the piano image helped me to recognize the need for hi-passing which was done judiciously but necessarily and as a result the horn was tamable which allowed me put the woodwinds pair through a narrowing process to place it more easily in the back of the ensemble.
I'd love to know what you think of this approach and would like to hear how others approached this and what cues they listened to when making their blending and panning decisions.
Much Thanks...MITC
Gnessin Academy Piano Concerto - Pan 3
11/18/2017
11/18/2017
What is so much fun about orchestral mixing is that it allows you to be both producer and conductor. Offered as my final take on this wonderful piece is this. Did some more low end cleaning and was generally more aggressive with tuning the individual sections with EQ and gain riding.
Gnessin Academy Piano Concerto - Pan 4
11/28/2017
11/28/2017
A couple new approaches here. LCR panning for all sectional mics. Room mics were used more heavily and re-balanced to add the lushness and softness I was hearing in 'professional' productions. Some hi end was rolled off sectional mics to keep the softness.
Gnessin Academy Piano Concerto - Pan 6
5/9/2020
5/9/2020
Hello. I hope everyone is doing genuinely well.
I've mixed this piece previously and have posted those mixes in another post. Typically I would add it to my exiting post but this mix is a different generation.
After watching a recent public television special documenting the life of the young Japanese piano prodigy Nobuyuki Tsujii, who achieved a gold medal at the Van Cliburn competition in 2009 and listening to this incredible pianist, it clarified an approach to this piece. That approach has been applied with this next generation mix.
Armed with new EQ plugins from the classical era allowed for liberally shaping the sonic content appropriately, bringing focus to the groups of instruments in the ensemble and how they are layered. This presented a wonderful sound stage to present a focused and very evenly tempered piano soloist. This new clarity also allowed for the house to be better encompassed around the stage which is vital to the entire soundscape. This has yielded the best rendition of the hall I've yet to realize. It also preserves the presence of the soloist, with excellent imaging of the piano, note definition and the best dynamics, so far.
There were several layers of compression on the mix as well as mastering compression/limiting. All used very sparingly and for specific need. No reverb was added to the mix. The decay and sonic density of the hall is superb. Automation was used throughout on section mics or on the 'All Sections' buss; mostly subtle changes to enhance the balance between soloist and ensemble throughout the phrases in the score. All tracks were high-passed to a degree to minimize rumble. Not noticed in previous mixes are some of the house noises audible in this one. I also think a string is gone or is going bad on the piano. Yikes! I had my suspicions of this before but something is buzzing, besides me. You tell me if you can hear it. Please!
Learning and hearing about this wonderful new performer was a treat and being able to apply that to this mix of the Concerto has a been a real pleasure. I hope you find time to enjoy my mix.
Put on your best ears and take a listen...
Your friend, mITc
Comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
MITC
PreSonus Studio One DAW
[email protected]
[email protected]